Chapter 1: Missed the Boat

Released: 10/21/2022

Updated: N/A

T/W: Trauma

Percy rested his back against the bar stool, the familiar feeling of a slight burn down his throat as he sipped his whiskey. His eyes roamed lazily around the bar, noticing the gathering of people near the center. The assortment of people all had different clothing, ranging from jerseys to tank tops, but blue and orange were a common theme among them.

Nothing rowdier than an important baseball game towards the end of the season. Luckily, the surrounding seats weren't in viewing distance of the flock of televisions, which gave him plenty of room to stretch out.

The half-full glass of whiskey duplicated as he moved it around in front of him, creating a mirror like image that followed his movements. Percy blinked a few times before the second glass merged back with the first one. With shoulders sagged, neck tilted back, and eyes closed, the edges of Percy's lips curved upwards. A good start, but not what he would need by night's end.

The chatter and cheers faded into a dull murmur, and the occasional tap on his thigh from the whiskey glass' condensation dwindled to the littlest of sensations. Perfect darkness invaded his mind, pushing away the encroaching shadowy mess that afflicted him. The infrequent throat burning and woody smell of the whiskey allowed his mind to drift off.

Within that darkness came a feeling that Percy recognized. His free hand slid to his thigh, hooking the thumb in his jeans' pocket. Water from nearby drinks called to him, armed like a cocked gun. The dampened sound of a scraping chair wormed its way through the dull chatter, almost causing the trigger to be pulled, but a familiar scent invaded his nostrils. It was like a mixture of his Mom's cookies and salty spray of ocean water. Images flashed through his mind, including one of a limo parked near a junkyard, which caused Percy to groan internally.

Unhooking his thumb from his jeans' pocket, Percy leaned forward and rested his arms on the bar and said, "Aphrodite." Dots swam across his vision when he opened his eyes and looked to his left, but he took satisfaction in the goddess' shocked face.

"How?" Aphrodite questioned, her silky voice laced with surprise. He tapped his nose and cracked a smile when he heard her huff. He looked out over the bar, raising his hand to the bartender. Shaking the empty glass, Percy asked, "Amy, how about some Macallan Rare Cask? Neat." Might as well drink the good stuff if he had the love goddess as company for the night.

"Oh, that sounds scrumptious. Sweetie, can you make that two?" Aphrodite asked while sliding her arm underneath his, linking their arms together, before continuing, "It's our anniversary." The bartender raised an eyebrow and gave Percy a look, which he returned with a nod while rolling his eyes. He moved his arm out from over hers, but he couldn't deny the tingling sensation that shot through his arm when their skins touched.

Grabbing his newly filled glass, Percy took a second to let the whiskey's smell invade his nostrils. A fruity and slight caramel scent hit his nose, and the drink went down significantly smoother than the last whiskey. Aphrodite's voice brought him out of his revelry, "So, what's the underage Hero of Olympus doing at a bar?"

"Well, I was relaxing," grunted Percy while shooting her a look. He didn't need Amy or anyone else hearing that he wasn't supposed to be in here. Percy was lucky the fake ID that Apollo created worked well enough for the bartender to not notice.

Blissful silence crept through his ears again, the chatter slowly reaching the levels from before. It was almost like the Goddess of Love wasn't sitting next to him, although that bliss was ruined when she blurted out, "I'm sorry."

Percy almost questioned her, but the opportunities of an Olympian apologizing were few and far between. So, he raised his eyebrow at her and waited for her to continue.

"When I said that I would make your love life interesting," Aphrodite circled one of her fingers around the top of her glass, "I didn't mean for you and Annabeth to break up."

Percy gritted his teeth and looked away. How could the Goddess of Love not understand the situation between him and Annabeth? There was no doubt of the love that they felt for each other, but something else wiggled and worked its way into their relationship. A sigh escaped his lips, "We're not broken up, we're just on break." His comment elicited a raised eyebrow, which he pointedly ignored.

"All the top demigod power couples are breaking apart. It's such a tragedy." There oozed a sort of sadness from Aphrodite, but a part of Percy still believed that she was behind all of it. "My beloved Piper and Jason. You and Annabeth. And, of course, Calypso is now alone at Camp Half-Blood with that son of Hephaestus most certainly dea…"

A loud crack split open the surrounding conversations and thoughtless words spewed out of him, "Don't you fucking say that. Leo is still out there and he will come back." Sharp pain danced around the sides of his cheeks from his clenched teeth as words continued to pour out, "He has to."

It took only four months before Percy reluctantly gave up his search for Leo and moved into his new apartment in the Lower East Side. The urge to drop his new job and everything else to pick back up the search ate away at him constantly. But Poseidon urged him to take a break and to acclimate to the real world.

Wooden chips fell from the bottom of his hand once he lifted it off the bar. A fist-sized crater marred the wood, cracks stemming from the epicenter. Percy's hand trembled as it explored the newly formed fissures. He felt the stares of surrounding people and bartenders. He knew they were thinking about how much of a freak he was. After taking a large sip of his whiskey, Percy tried to shift his attention to the circular movements of the glass' contents.

Dark brown liquid residing in his drink morphed into red flames, cinder popping out onto his hand. Steam rose as the glass' condensation transformed into gas. Coldness seeped into his fingers, sensations shooting up his arm. Percy's fingers numbed, the temperature colder than the time he accidentally touched liquid nitrogen in high school. He tried to push down the lump stuck in his throat, but his mouth was dry and hot, and his rapid heartbeats drowned out the revived surrounding chatter.

Fire engulfed the glass in its entirety once it fell down onto the bar. Flames oozed out over the drink's top like rising foam after a freshly poured beer. Eyes shut tight, Percy felt the legion of dams built within his mind crumbling down. A distant voice called to him, but he couldn't reach it. Hidden away thoughts spilled through the cracks. Images of broken glass and a river of fire flooded his mind.

Percy's eyes shot open once he felt a vise-like grip on his hand. The now half-empty glass of whiskey sat in front of him, liquid pooled around all sides. Neither bar nor glass was afflicted by the fiery liquid seen moments ago. A shaky breath escaped his lips. Persistent hand pain caused Percy to look towards it, noticing another hand firmly entwined with his. He followed the hand until he found kaleidoscopic eyes boring into him. Another shaky breath escaped him before he gave Aphrodite a slight nod. The pain subsided once she eased her mechanical-like grip, but she kept their hands together, occasionally dragging her thumb in circles on his palm. Although her attention shifted towards the bar's TVs, Percy kept his eyes on her.

Aphrodite's outfit was simple: studded black heels, ripped blue jeans, and a white tank top that fit her body perfectly. His eyes were drawn to how different she looked compared to the last time they were close together. Gone were the blonde ringlets, replaced by straight, long flowing black hair. He didn't understand why, but the makeup she applied previously made her entire face pop. This time, he couldn't drag his sight away from her bright cherry-red lips. Every movement towards other facial features sucked him back into the vortex that was her lips. So strong was the fixation that he didn't realize words were coming out until it was too late.

"You're beautiful."

An overwhelming urge to rub the back of his neck slammed into Percy once she turned towards him. Ever-changing pools of colors within her eyes almost sucked him in, but he yanked his sight towards one of the TVs before he did something he would regret.

"… authorities say they do not know how the explosion occurred. They have confirmed that at least 12 people have died here at Bar Harbor National Park with many more injured. We tried…"

The news reporter continued, but Percy could still feel Aphrodite's eyes burning into his head. He turned towards her to apologize, but his free arm knocked his drink to the floor. Poorly repaired dams within his mind were torn down once the glass shattered. The surrounding area transformed into the place that haunted his daily life.

Televisions and wooden ceilings faded away into red clouds. Gone were the bar and its patrons, replaced by a rocky hill that reflected the clouds' color. Sickening crunches pierced his ears as he stumbled backwards. Percy spun around in circles and tried to find his way out. All around him was a hilly landscape rife with broken glass. In the far distance, a river of flame and fire oozed down parts of the glassy hill.

Glass crunched again after Percy sat down and pulled his legs to his chest. Tears freely dripped down his cheeks. Each shaky breath pulled in sulfur-laden air. Mouth, noise, and throat burned. Leg hair bristled against his forehead once it rested against his knees. Eyes shut tight, Percy repeatedly mumbled out the same phrase.

"This isn't real. This isn't real."

Nightmare-inducing thoughts flooded through his torn down mental walls. A swirling whirlpool of darkness, a goddess choking on her own poison, and other images swam across his mind. Fingernails dug too deep into his skin and blood dribbled down his palms and forearms.

Just before hopelessness and despair took over, Percy had his head yanked away from his body. What he could only describe as the softest of silk settled on his cheek. The nightmarish images dwindled away into blissful darkness after something delicate pressed against his lips. Sensations tingled down his body after this foreign invader wormed its way into his mouth. He was almost rocked back once the taste of it hit him. It was like a concoction of nectar and ambrosia, but tastier. Intoxicating. Percy couldn't help but pull it deeper into his mouth, pressing his tongue against it at every opportunity. Dull pain radiated from his cheek, the silk-like substance pressing hard against it. But Percy didn't care. He needed more. The familiar smell of his favorite cookies and the ocean replaced the long-gone sulfur scent. Wait… Percy knew that smell.

Percy's eyes exploded open and half shut kaleidoscopic eyes met his. Glass crunched around him as he shifted backwards, noticing Aphrodite's tongue slink back into her mouth. How can something be so delicious? He shook away those thoughts, pushing her hand off his cheek.

"Mmm. Handsome, if I knew you were that good of a kisser." Percy couldn't help but track the way she circled her lips with her tongue before she continued, "We would have done that a long time ago."

It felt like someone dialed up the bar's thermometer over 100 degrees warmer. Why the Hades would she say that? What was wrong with her? Percy looked around at the loosely formed crowd around him. Pieces of broken glass surrounded him and the now upturned bar stool. A dull ache emanated from his dried up, bloody palms. The crowd's murmurings worked its way into Percy's ears.

Is he okay?

That kid should be in a mental hospital.

Is he insane?

Eyes squeezed shut, Percy dug his fingernails back into his palms. New blood wormed its way over the old. What was wrong with him?

"Percy, come on. Let's get you home."

Only one thought seemed to persist as Aphrodite dragged him up and out of the bar. He was going to need more booze.

The blue tinted walls of his room reflected the light from his window, brightening the area. Occasional sounds from the outside traffic pierced his apartment's walls. Most people would hate waking up to a horn-happy driver fueled up on their second Starbucks drink of the morning. Percy didn't mind though. This was home.

Stumbling out of bed, Percy worked his way out of the bedroom and into the compact living room and kitchen.

"Mornin' handsome!"

Vision drawn to the small kitchen, Percy noticed Aphrodite was in his apartment, rifling through his cabinets.

"Do you know where your pans are?" Aphrodite asked while clapping her hands together. "I'm going to make eggs!"

It seemed like an aura of accomplishment sprung up around her, but his thoughts drifted to her attire. Tied around her neck was a simple brown apron. Lined with her chest were the words 'HAPPY' and 'BIRTHDAY,' followed underneath by a large pink heart with his name in the center. He couldn't help pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What are you wearing?"

"It's part of your birthday gift, silly!" One spin from Aphrodite confirmed his suspicions that she was not wearing anything underneath the apron. "Do you like it?"

A satisfied hum came out of her once he reluctantly nodded. Percy's body went into autopilot as his mind tried to figure out what in Hades happened the previous night. After he directed Aphrodite to where the pans were, he trudged to the bathroom. A small tug in his gut came before a tendril of water snaked out of the sink. He splashed the water on his face before pushing it back down through the pipes. He gripped both sides of the sink and sank his head.

Come on Percy, think!

Percy knew Aphrodite pulled him twice out of the nightmares that plagued him. A part of him yearned to feel again what she did to him the second time. Another part screamed that it was wrong. He pushed back the dueling parts of his mind and tried to focus on last night.

What happened after the bar? Percy searched every part of his mind for a scrap of helpful information, but not even a single bread crumb sprouted up. The lack of a pounding headache told him that he didn't drink enough to keep the terrors silent. But he had no recollection of them. No waking up to screaming in the middle of the night. No changing the sheets for a third time from the sweats that flooded them. Nothing.

He pushed out of the bathroom and rushed to the kitchen until he found the source of his newfound ire.

"What did you do to me?" The only response was a hmm that only made him angrier.

"I know I didn't drink enough last night. So, tell me!" Percy's hand slammed down onto the granite top of the kitchen island. "What magic did you use on me to not suffer?"

"Oh, Percy." Aphrodite skirted around the island and grabbed his hand, gazing straight into him. "You practically passed out as soon as we got back. It only took a few minutes before hands and legs were flailing around."

Aphrodite's thumb brushed against his cheek, wiping away the tear that Percy shed. "I held you under the covers until you stopped. And I thought…" Percy could've sworn that a slight golden hue spread out over her cheeks. "I thought I would stay just in case it happened again."

Over the years, Percy developed the skill of detecting lies. A simple movement of the eye, twitch of the lip, or shift of the jaw could reveal their true intentions. But, none of these movements popped up. All he could discern was a sense of… sadness?

That was all it took to set off the waterworks. Mucus, tears, and drool concocted into disgusting blob-like stains on Aphrodite's apron. He had been searching for something to relieve him from the terrors that ate away at him. The only source that eased his pains, albeit temporarily, was a boat-load of alcohol. It took only a kind gesture from the goddess he least expected for him to have a tiny thread of hope that he could endure.

The rough texture of his Camp Half-Blood shirt scraped against his face, wiping away the snotty and teary mess. Aphrodite waved off his apology and her lips curved upwards into a soft smile. The sounds of traffic below faded into a droning noise once their eyes met. Shifting colors clashed with sea green. Percy's will to turn away crumbled into ashes. His thumb traced underneath her eye before tucking strands of hair behind her ear. Shivers traveled down his body when her fingers combed through his trimmed hair. The sound of heartbeats rose to a crescendo. Just as his eyes closed and their lips met, a scream split the air.

"-rodite!"

Percy took a step back. The sudden power surge sent warnings across his nervous system like yellow police tape wrapped his entire body. He yanked his head to the side and covered his eyes, bright pink light burning into his skull.

"What?!" Aphrodite's yell oozed irritation. All of his instincts screamed 'run!' The only option he had was to jump down onto the streets below and maybe get out with only a broken bone or two.

"I-I'm sorry! Lady Athena demands to speak to you and she won't be refused." The voice he recognized as Iris babbled out. Pink light that pierced his closed eyes dwindled down into black and the sound of shifting pans hit his ears.

"Fine."

Percy peeked out and let out a sigh of relief. Aphrodite was back at the stove, oiling one of the pans he showed her earlier. Next to her was a misty rainbow that hovered over the sink. The worry creased face of Iris slowly dissolved into a new image.

Rows of books skirted around the rainbow's outside. Towards the center, blonde hair tied up in a ponytail blocked the books. He had to do a double take once the face formed. The uncanny resemblance between Athena and Annabeth still shocked him.

Wait… Shit. Shit!

Percy dove behind the kitchen island, hidden from the Iris Message's view. Blood pumped in and out of his heart at a brisk pace. He rested his head against the wood cabinet underneath the granite top, praying to just about anything that Athena didn't see him. Fortunately, her attention was focused on the Goddess of Love.

"Aphrodite." The venom behind her voice surprised even him, who was the usual recipient of her ire.

"Athena! It's so lovely to see you on this fine morning."

Oh gods. Percy released the breath he didn't know he was holding. There were only a couple of places that he could think of that were worse than being between the two soon-to-be quarreling goddesses.

"Last night, did you receive the missive containing orders to join an emergency council meeting?"

"Yep." Aphrodite ended her one word answer with an audible pop.

"And was there a particular reason why you did not attend?"

"I was busy." A pause in their conversation dragged on for an awkwardly long time. Percy couldn't help but crack a smile at the thought of Athena's angry facial expressions.

"Not only does your insolence anger me, but it also infuriates my father and your king." Percy tried to peek around the cabinet but was quickly reminded that Aphrodite did not have any clothing underneath her apron.

The image of her bare ass seared into his brain. If someone asked him how many dimples she had down there, he could answer instantaneously. Not that he would. That would lead to many embarrassing questions. Percy shook the picture out of his head, noticing that he missed the escalation of the one-sided shouting match.

"— demands that you visit him right now!" He felt fortunate that he had never been on the receiving end of her yells. Most of the time it was just a simple I am disappointed kind of stare.

"I'll go once we finish breakfast." The sizzling of the eggs drove Aphrodite's point home.

"We? Not once in our eons knowing each other have I seen you make breakfast for your… conquests." Percy's face morphed into a scowl. They didn't even do anything last night!

"Wait…" Athena's voice cut through the sizzling of the eggs. He froze when he heard the tone of her voice, pressing his back and head against the cabinet. "This place seems familiar."

In an instant, it felt like Percy went through a full box of saltines. Mouth dry like a desert, he tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. If she was anything like Annabeth, cogs were spinning around in her gigantic brain. It was almost a matter of time before the rat found cheese at the maze's end.

Closing his eyes, he expanded his senses. All different water sources beckoned to him. The fire hydrant across the street. The sewage-laden water underneath the building. Even faint whispers from the East River's currents called to him. Percy pushed them away and focused on the tiny water droplets above the sink. A dull sensation tugged at his gut once he dragged down the tiny beads of liquid, breaking the Iris Message.

A quick peek above the island confirmed the success of Operation Hangup. Small parts of his mind focused on extracting the remnants of the message out of the floorboards, but the rest dialed in to Aphrodite's voice.

"Your ex's mom can be a real pain in the ass." She eyed him like a predator stalking prey. Exaggerated hip swinging highlighted how she sauntered around the kitchen towards him. Her hand landed on his chest like a butterfly landing on a flower, but the softness was short-lived. Percy's back slammed against the kitchen island, rattling the items on top. Just the pressing of her fingertips held him still like if the butterfly ripped off and clung onto a petal. Fingers slowly dragging down, Aphrodite whispered, "Now where were we?" before leaning forward with puckered lips.

Just before her lips struck home, Percy tilted his head to the side, dodging the kiss. A small frown marred her face, but he ignored it and yanked her hand off his chest. A shake of the head and a scowl accompanied his words, "Let's just have breakfast."

Breakfast quickly passed with only small talk exchanged between them. It didn't take long for her to leave once they finished their eggs. Despite his scowl and lack of communication, she still parted with a kiss to his cheek. The heat rising from his face and neck betrayed his mood. A satisfied hum and a pink flash accompanied her departure, leaving Percy alone with a ton of dishes to clean.

He sighed and pulled water out of the sink. Tendrils raced across the open kitchen and living room, dishes floating on top. A quick combination of pressurized water and dish soap knocked out the grease and stains left over. Percy extracted the leftover water and piled the dry dishes near the sink.

Red flashed on the beige walls, and he failed to suppress a groan, "Forget something?"

The lack of response was a little weird, but Percy focused on spreading oil over the dirty cast iron pan. He used to clean it with a soap soaked sponge, but a scolding and lesson from his Mom quickly taught him otherwise. The thought of her brought a smile to his face. A quick visit before work would almost certainly yield birthday cookies.

Cloth rubbing iron scrubbed through the awkward silence that filled the air. It got to the point where Percy chucked the rag down and turned around.

"What do you wa-" Percy's voice cut off when he faced not the Goddess of Love, but the Hearth Goddess.

Hestia wore a simple brown dress with buttons traveling from her mid thighs to the base of the collar around her neck. He briefly scanned her popped open collar and rolled-up sleeves, but what drew his attention the most were her fire-red eyes. Unlike Ares' eyes, hers were like a soft stoked fire, comfort radiating from them. But a hint of sadness filled the normal tenderness.

She lunged forward and seized him into a bone-crushing hug. Percy winced and tried to decipher the words she muttered into his chest, but that yielded no results.

"Lady Hestia, what did you say?"

Pools of water extinguished the flames within her eyes and words leaked out from between her sobs, "I am so sorry, young hero."

Percy's hand clenched into a fist and stared down at Hestia, "What happened? Who did this to you?" His mind worked in overdrive to figure out who could hurt one of the few genuine friends he had left, and he knew nothing could stop him until he set it right.

Hestia shook her head at his questioning and choked out, "They found his body."

A/N:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

This will be a multi-pantheon story that spans across the world! I will do my best in respectfully portraying the other pantheons/religions, albeit I'm sure there will be some creative decisions further down the line. Please let me know if there is something insensitive I've written or portrayed a character in an insensitive way. That definitely wouldn't be my intention and I would rectify it.

I am also going to dig into Percy's trauma, and I hope to respectfully portray that as well. I know they're originally middle school level books, but I wished more of it was portrayed from the characters. Once again, please let me know if I am doing this in an insensitive way.

For each chapter, I will name it after a song that I think fits the chapter, whether the overarching theme of it or just a specific part! Music plays a big part in my creative and imaginative side, so I thought I'd have a little fun with it. Anyway, the song for this chapter is:

Missed the Boat by Modest Mouse.

I would love to hear if you like this song, if you thought of another song, or any of your thoughts!

On a side note, this will be a Percy/Multi story because why not have a challenge on my first ever story. I hope to do it in a more creative way rather than everyone falling head over heels in love with the hero trope. While some characters are set in stone, I would love to hear your thoughts on who you would want with Percy!

Two things regarding this being my first ever story:

I think it will take a little time for me to find a consistent narrative voice. It's just trial and error, and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Would love to hear constructive criticism. Something like "this sucks" isn't very helpful, but I'm sure most of you know that.

Since writing is only a small part of my life, there will most likely be irregular updates to this story. Sorry!

Thanks once again for reading this!

-TNAN-1